Heading down the hill, there are more houses, but the lavishness of the houses decreases. Still, there is this magnificent church above and this house below. Down in the valley between two hills are these…

Based off of the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the Missouri Capitol is an amazing structure. The interior continues the same Beaux-Arts theme. The dome is similar to many Italian domes, such as the…

I’ve always been fascinated by the industry that occurred out in the countryside back in the day. The harvesting of guano, for the manufacturing of gunpowder, logically took place in caverns, and many subterranean spaces…

A group of friends and I were in the neighborhood, so we headed out to the old Weldon Springs Munitions Plant, in southwestern St. Charles County. The history of the production of armaments, both conventional…

Over thirteen years have passed since I graduated Truman State and left Kirksville and Northeast Missouri. It’s been almost exactly a year since I last visited, when I gave a series of lectures about a…

PATINA

Pronunciation:
\pə-ˈtē-nə, ˈpa-tə-nə\
1 a: a usually green film formed naturally on copper and bronze by long exposure or artificially (as by acids) and often valued aesthetically for its color b: a surface appearance of something grown beautiful especially with age or use; 2: an appearance or aura that is derived from association, habit, or established character; 3: a superficial covering or exterior